Chiyu
by Angelic Scars the bloody angel
Summary: How will Yuki and Kyo cope if they never met Tohru? Can they help each other to battle their demons or will they just end up killing eachother? YukixKyo in later chapters. Please R&R! formerly knowen as A Story without Tohru
1. Begining

**THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE OR A REWRITE! This is the same chapter, it's just been betad by the amazing and wonderful RuleThyMi, everyone thank her for betaing my fict now you wont have to put up with my horrible grammer. Ok. **

n.n Hello Mina-san! (small bow) Im very happy you are reading this. The first chapter of my first Furuba fict! I hope you enjoy it. What would happen to our favourite Sohmas without Tohru? What if they had never met her? Can Kyo and Yuki help eachother or will they just end up killing each other? Will Akito step in before either can be happy? Will anyone find out about he curse? Will Shigure stop being such a perv? All these questions and more will be answered.

**WARNING!** This will be a yaoi/shonen ai story, aka boyxboy dont like dont read, simple as.

**IMPORTANT NOTE!** The only people who knows of Kyos other form is Hatori, Shigure, Akito and Kasuma and maybe a few others. But Yuki dosen't know ok n.n

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_"Come on! It's okay, I won't let you fall!" _

_"Where are you? Why do I have to be the oni?" the little girl complained, stretching her arms ahead of her as she tried to follow the sound of the other children's voices. They were playing oni tag and the girl had been selected to be 'It.' Only the rules were changed slightly; the 'oni' had to be blindfolded. The little girl had been afraid of falling of walking into something, so Yuki had offered to walk at her side so he could warn her of any dangers._

_  
The other children ran around laughing and giggling. "Over here 'oni'!" they called teasingly. The little girl laughed and the young Yuki smiled. The children were all about 5 or 6 years old. There was some sort of festival or celebration going on, and the grownups were inside. However, none of this mattered to the children. They had gone out to play tag. _

_  
The girl laughed again. As she became more confident in being 'blind', she ran faster towards the voices, reaching out to any who didn't get out of her way quick enough. _

_  
"Onee-chan you make a hopeless oni!" one boy cried. The girl frowned in determination. _

_  
"Ototo-chan, I'm going to get you for that! You are so going to be the next oni!" she shouted triumphantly, Yuki jogged along beside her to keep up. _

_  
Yuki saw the rock too late; the little girl had already stumbled over it before he could say a word. _

_  
"Yuki!" she shouted as she stretched out her arms. Her small body hit Yuki's equally frail body and she wrapped her arms around him to steady herself. But something was wrong. They were falling over, and Yuki was ... shrinking? _

_  
She felt a light against her eyelids and heard the gasps of the other children. _

_  
"Yuki-kun?" she whispered tentatively as she slowly lifted her blindfold. _

_  
What she saw was so far from what she expected; she let out a little yelp and scuttled backwards. Yuki wasn't there anymore. Only his clothes lay on the ground, no body filling them. Beside the clothes on the ground was a silver rat, its fur the same colour as Yuki's hair. _

_The rat sat there, his small body curling up, trying to look even smaller. He had lost more friends. Hatori would have to suppress their memories ... and Yuki would be alone again. _

A teenage Yuki rolled over in his sleep, his silver hair falling into his eyes. His eyes fluttered a bit, but he did not wake. He curled himself in a tight ball, as if trying to protect himself from the dream. In another room in the quiet house, another Sohma was having a troubled dream.

_Everyone wore black. Black dresses, black suits, black shirts, black hats, black ties, black, black, black. Even the atmosphere was black. And a small boy stood in the middle of it all, staring at the floor. Not crying ... he would not cry. _

_  
"From what I hear, it seems like suicide," he heard as the hissing gossip filled the area. Even though no one would stand near him, there was at least a five-foot radius of free floor space around him. He could still hear their poisonous voices. _

_  
"But no one knows for sure." _

_  
"I guess it was so hard on her having the cat as a son … that she killed herself." _

_  
'"Shut up," whispered the boy._

_  
"Poor thing." _

_  
"If only she hadn't had that cat child." _

_  
"The boy doesn't even cry." _

_  
"Even though his mother died." _

_  
"Shut up...," he whispered, his small voice drowned out in the chatter._

_  
"And he's the one who pushed her to suicide." _

_  
"Shut up, it's not my fault. IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" _

_  
His mother's voice rang in his ears as he ran away from the voices, the ones who hated him. _

_  
'"I'm not scared a bit." Liar._

_  
'"You're my son and I'm proud of you." Liar!_

_  
"You can't go outside. You're so cute -- I won't let anyone else see you." LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! _

_  
If she meant those things, she wouldn't have left. She would have looked at him. Really looked at him, no matter what form he was in. _

"_Okaa-san ... why …?"_

The orange-haired teen sat bolt upright in bed and groaned. It just wasn't fair. Akito had ordered him to stay with Shigure and the damn rat for some reason. Tearing him away from the only home he knew. From Kasuma. The only place he had ever felt loved. He sat for a few moments, letting the tears silently fall down his cheeks. He wouldn't cry or sob. But he would allow this brief moment of weakness.

He let out a weary sigh as his head hit the pillow. If it wasn't bad enough that he had to move away from Kasuma, but he also had to stay with the damn rat. It was all the rat's fault he was like this, anyways. Kyo clenched his fists.

He growled. Who needed a home and love, anyway? He was just being stupid and sentimental when he needed his wits about him. Love was a dangerous emotion anyways, making you do the strangest things. Things you would never do if your brain wasn't being rewired by that freakish emotion. He sighed, pulling his blanket over his tired body and tucking himself in. He closed his eyes again and tried to get some sleep.

Yuki hadn't woken from his dream.

_He was still there, the little boy, watching each and every one of his friends vanish from him as Hatori suppressed their memories. Akito stood in the background, grinning savagely._

"_You're strange, Yuki. It is simply not normal for a boy to turn into a rat. It will scare people …You don't want that, do you? You don't want to be hated?" he asked artfully, eyeing the boy._

_Akito always won. He always got his way. Unfortunately, his way was always the one where the members of the Zodiac as miserable as possible. After these speeches, Yuki would never complain, never try to stop Hatori. After all, he was strange ... he didn't deserve friends, as Akito reminded him every time a memory had to be suppressed. _

_The little girl, the oni, stretched her hand out to Yuki, silently asking for help. Hatori's hand gently wrapped around her tiny head. She was so small compared to the older man, and she was probably terrified. Yuki watched as Hatori worked. In a few seconds the girls body went limp, collapsing in the man's lap. _

_Another friend gone...just like that._

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Kyo yawned as he reached towards the fridge door. He was always the first one up in the morning. He had always been a morning person. It didn't make sense; cats were known for their ability to sleep all their lives -- if the fancy took them. Kyo, however, wasn't one for sleep. He only slept for as long as his body demanded and no longer. When he woke, he was always completely and utterly awake, as if he had never gone to bed in the first place.

The house was still quiet, as the lazy dog and rat were still asleep. Kyo glared at the contents of the refrigerator, as if they had offended him. Actually, they had -- in a way. The small space was packed with junk food and leftover take-out. Kyo grabbed a carton of orange juice and slammed the door shut. Nothing in there was fit for human consumption, and he didn't know how Shigure and Yuki managed to live off the stuff.

Hunting around in the cupboard, he found a few clean bowls and an unopened box of cereal. He sighed again. The box was covered in brightly colored, garish pictures, and the contents of the cereal weren't much better than the food in the fridge. It had the nutritional value of cardboard, and made up for what it lacked in that area by about twenty tons of sugar. Unfortunately, it was the only thing there, and Kyo was just too hungry to care.

He waded towards the table through the mess on the floor, carrying three bowls and spoons in one hand, the carton on juice and cereal in another. He set two bowls down for Yuki and Shigure. Not that he wanted to, but Shigure would only complain over and over again. Kyo was mean for not getting him a bowl when Kyo had got his own. Now he had to go all the way to the kitchen to get one, blah, blah, blah. Yuki would complain because Shigure was complaining. Honestly, sometimes Kyo wasn't sure _who_ was worst, Yuki or Shigure.

Kyo poured himself a bowl of sugar ... ahem, _cereal,_ and took a gulp from the orange juice carton. There weren't any clean cups, and he just couldn't be bothered to wash any. They needed to go to the grocery store, too.

Kyo didn't normally bother how clean a house was, or what the people in said house _ate_, but this house really bugged him -- now that he had to live in it. He had to suppress the urge to clean the place. The only thing that stopped him from picking up a mop was the thought of the damn rat mocking him. And there was _no way _he was going to cook for them, either. He would cook food for himself, but with Shigure around that was dangerous. Shigure either bug him incessantly to cook _his_ favourite dish, or call him a 'meanie' for not preparing said dish. The level of maturity in this house was so frustrating.

Yuki came downstairs at that moment, looking as he usually did in the morning ... like the living dead. His school shirt was buttoned up all wrong, and his tie was slung over his shoulder, haphazardly tied. His hair stuck up at odd angles, and he walked as if someone had injected him with starch. Yuki was definitely not a morning person. He dragged a bowl towards him, and made a grab for the cereal. He missed, knocking the juice over instead.

"DAMN RAT! PAY A BIT MORE ATTENTION, WILL YOU!" Kyo screamed as he jumped to his feet. He quickly righted the carton, but some juice had leaked out onto the wood and now a puddle of orange sat in the middle of the table. Yuki just grunted and reached for the cereal again, this time his hand closing around the box. He filled his bowl with the sugar flavoured cardboard, I mean _cereal. _

"Milk?" he asked sleepily.

"There is none! You had it all yesterday for breakfast, remember!" Kyo sputtered angrily.

Yuki glared at his cereal bowl as if willing it to fill with milk. When that failed to work, he started to spoon the food into his mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing as if it caused him great pain.

Shigure entered next, reading the paper and looking for all the world as if he'd been up for hours, which he probably had been. His editor's suicide attempts had been getting more and more frequent, suggesting he had a deadline looming.

"_If that brainless twit ends up killing herself on the porch, I'll revive her, kill her again, and kill Shigure for good measure," _thought Kyo. A blood stain on the porch would be the last straw for him. Even if he was the cat, therefore a predator, and a carnivore extraordinaire, he couldn't stand blood. He shoved some more of the cereal in his mouth, a little more forcefully than needed and ended up choking.

Yuki laughed and muttered something under his breath along the lines of "Stupid cat is trying to kill himself with cereal…"

Now if any other person had said this, Kyo probably would have laughed at the joke. After all, 'death by cereal' on a death certificate would look rather odd. However, this was _Yuki._

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU KUSO NEZUMI! FACE ME LIKE A MAN, PRETTY BOY!" he yelled. A vein popped in Yuki forehead. He stood up and swiftly sent a kick in Kyo's direction, sending the cursing cat through the wall.

"My house!" Shigure moaned, "Stop breaking my house! I'm going to have to call Akasawa-san again to fix that." Yuki yawned boredly. He stood and walked towards the bathroom deciding to try and make himself look more presentable. Kyo stood up painfully, swearing at Yuki's retreating form. He limped off to his room to get his book bag.

If Kyo hated anything more than living in the same house as the rat, it was having to go to the same school as him. Not only did he have to contend with Yuki, Haru and Momiji, but also the horde of evilness that the school secretly hid from the outside world, a.k.a., the fangirls. Now, Kyo had been quite happy to allow the fan girls chase Yuki to their loony hearts content. But then he had to go to that horrendous school. And true to the fangirl nature, they instantly fell in love with the new Sohma the moment they saw him. Although most of the crazy ones were loyal to Prince Yuki, he had his own herd of fangirls. It was nothing to be happy about. Not at all. It was something to be feared above all else, especially if you were one of the cursed members of the Zodiac ... or even if you were not of the Zodiac, on second thought. Whatever.

Kyo grabbed his bag and marched downstairs. He arrived at the bottom a few seconds before Yuki, who had managed to composed himself to look like his usual neat and tidy self.

"Have a good day at schoooool!" Shigure sang after them. As the two gave the hyperactive dog equally potent death glares, he gave a small "meep!" and ran deeper into the house, probably to finish off the leftovers of yesterday's takeout.

The two boys walked to school in stony silence, purposefully ignoring each other and acting as if they were walking alone. Kyo was still mad at Yuki, and Yuki didn't want to be associated with the deranged cat.

Once inside the school they each went to their separate lockers, finally being able to breath easily. Yuki was immediately followed by about five fangirls. They managed to chatter all at the same time, sounding like a horde of angry buzzing bees. Yuki gently messaged his temples and closed his eyes, trying to block the coming headache, but also trying to maintain a polite, aristocratic air. Kyo wasn't so subtle. Yuki could already hear his yelling and the sound of pounding stomps, accompanied by the footsteps of three very, very brave fangirls. Yuki watched Kyo streak past, an amused grin fluttering across his face This made the fan girls scream their hearts out, and Yuki instantly regret breathing. He made his excuses, managed to shake off the girls, and strode towards his homeroom quickly. Seconds later Kyo came streaking in, slamming the door behind him. There were multiple thumps as the girls collided with the door. "_Cruel_," thought Yuki, "_but appropriate_." He tried not to laugh as he pictured the looks on the girls' faces. Really, it wasn't very kind, but fan girls were so _annoying_.

Kyo collapsed in his chair and let his head rest on the desk. He was almost instantly surrounded by two boys. Yuki wasn't sure of their names, but they were friends of Kyo, if you could call them that. They were more acquaintances, really. Kyo would talk to them now and then, but other than that, he preferred to be alone. He didn't even like to be around Haru and Momiji, although Momiji never got the hint, and he would always go find Kyo at break to "Cheer him up!" as the boy would say. Momoiji was one of the few who seemed to partly understand Kyo, Yuki put it down to the fact that both of them had lost their mothers at a young age.

Yuki watched Kyo enviously as he made small talk with the other boys. Kyo attracted people so easily, even if he did push them away. Yuki wished for that, so much. To be normal. Not have to push people away. But that was the curse of those of the Zodiac. Kyo didn't know how lucky he was, _not_ to be part of it. Yuki would give anything for what Kyo had, not that he'd ever admit it. He certainly wasn't jealous of _Kyo_, of course not. He took his books and pens out of his bag and set them on the desk neatly and waited for the teacher. The bell rang and the student shuffled into their seats. The teacher came through the door a second later.

"Alright now, you lazy lot," she said as she breezed into the room, "I have a lot of announcements to give you today, so just sit there, _shut up, _and listen. I'm not going to repeat myself."

Everyone sat up a bit straighter after that. By now the class had learned to read their teacher's mood, and today she was not to be messed with.

School was the hellhole it usually was for both boys. Yuki got chased at least twice during dinner. Kyo had taken up residence in the tallest tree he could find, and the fan girls circled it, calling him down with offers of sweets, food, gifts, blah blah blah. Yuki was currently hiding in the broom closet after being cased by a particularly vicious pack of fangirls. They had stolen his tie, so now his shirt hug open due to the fact that the tie was actually attached to the top button on his shirt. Yuki almost felt sorry for them, they obviously didn't know the rules of the Prince Yuki Fan Club.

He sat on a box of some detergent and rested his head in his hands. Its was nice and peaceful in here. Yuki wondered if he ever wanted to go out again. Maybe he'd wait until everyone had gone home.

The bell interrupted his thoughts and he reluctantly walked back to his class. As he passed the window he could see Kyo still hiding in the tree. Now, only two girls were brave enough to ignore the bell. Kyo was also now surrounded by what looked like every cat in the area. The girls were alternating between saying how cute the cats were and how sweet Kyo was. They knew his meanness had only been a cover all along. Yuki sighed and shook his head. That stupid cat always managed to get himself in some sort of trouble. As if it were his mission to every day be shouted at for being late, breaking something or slamming the door (and some fangirl's fingers). Today he seemed to have opted for simply being late to class.

Yuki took his seat and waited for the teacher. There was a noise of a scuffle and yelling out side and Kyo burst through the door, his usual loud self.

"You can't put me in detention for being late! I was here before you! _You're_ the one who's late, you should put _yourself_ in detention!" he argued. The teacher was not amused. As

his scowl became more pronounced, a few student began to giggle. This teacher was known for his tardiness, and it was usually safe to arrive five minutes late to any class of his.

"Detention. Two. Weeks. SIT!" yelled the teacher. Kyo decided not to push his luck, a wise move, and instead stormed to his seat. Kyo sat through the whole class muttering darkly, stopping long enough to take a note or two, then going back to cursing the teacher under his breath. It was rather amusing to watch. Kyo looked quite dramatic, hair stuck up in dangerous looking spikes, and dark shadows falling over his eyes. Nearly every student was sneaking peeks at Kyo when the teacher's back was turned. They couldn't help it, the class was boring.

Kyo stormed out of the final class and to his detention, which turned out to be cleaning duty. He'd have to clean the classroom _and _the cloak room by himself (mainly because the teacher thought the classroom alone wasn't bad enough). Even though Kyo knew after a week the teacher would have forgotten about the detention, it didn't mean he could skip detention altogether. He muttered darkly as he mopped the floor, cursing the unthoughtful students who allowed their inside shoes to get so dirty. The cloak room was even worst, since every one walked through the cloak room to get to their lockers.

Kyo cursed again as he cleaned the cloak room. He'd already been here an hour and he was starting to get hungry. He was going to stand by the main door tomorrow and shout at any student who dared to walk in with muddy shoes. Oh yeah, he would make them regret the day they ever walked over _his_ clean floor, getting it dirtier … and dirtier … and dirtier.

Kyo was allowed to leave about another hour later. He smelt strongly of cleaning products. The odor attacked his nostrils and made him want to gag. As the cat, he had an extra-sensitive sense of smell, so the disinfectant was even worse for him.

He soon arrived back at The House, inside, he still refused to call it home. He was glad to see the front porch free of blood, indicating Shigure's editor hadn't killed herself yet. Good, he didn't need anything more to clean. Because it would obviously be him who would have to clean it. Unless of course he just left the blood there, but that wasn't the most pleasant idea, and he'd rather clean it up and get rid of it.

Stumbling into the house he saw some take out on the table. He glared at it. It had obviously been left there for him by Shigure, Yuki would never be so thoughtful. He picked up the bag and threw it unceremoniously into the fridge. He then search high and low for any ingredients he could turn into a nice hot stew or soup.

Kyo may not look it, but he knew how to cook. Maybe not _well_, but his cooking was edible. That was more than could be said for Shigure's cooking, maybe a better word would be sacrifice. Kasuma had taught him how to cook, explaining that Kyo needed to be prepared for any eventuality. He filled a bowl for himself and drank it ravenously, it was so hot it burned his throat. It didn't really matter, though. It was just so nice to have fresh food. Something that hadn't been pre-prepared, then warmed up when someone ordered it. He filled the bowl again and put the rest of the food in the fridge. He would eat it tomorrow.

He walked into the living room and slouched onto the sofa. He was way too tired. He'd been planning on challenging Yuki to a fight today, but sleep was more tempting. And the house seemed deserted anyway. He finished off his soup and put it on whatever part of the table was left. "_This house really needs to be tidied," _he thought lazily, his eyelids feeling heavy. He yawned. It was still early, but the cleaning had zapped any energy he had left. He fell asleep before he could even consider whether he'd be more comfortable in bed or on the sofa.

Yuki dropped the bags on the counter and began to put the food away. He hadn't bought much, they usually bought takeout anyway, but they needed milk and other necessities. Yuki spotted the bowl of fresh soup in the fridge. It was still warm, it couldn't have been in the fridge for more than five minutes. He sniffed it suspiciously. It smelled good. The thought of having some freshly cooked food was so tempting. He looked around, hoping to see a maid, or a cook. Or something. He knew the only one who could have cooked the soup was Kyo, (Shigure even managed to burn water ... well maybe not _that _extreme, but let's just say the kitchen still smells of smoke), and he didn't want to eat anything the cat had made. But it did smell so good … finally, hunger winning out over pride, he got a spoon and tasted the soup. He sighed as the warm liquid flowed down his throat, "Mmmmm…"

He grabbed a bowl and helped himself to some. He went to the living room and saw the cat, spread out over every bit of the sofa. Yuki glared at him. He glared at the cat's legs as he pushed them off the sofa to make room for him to sit. Kyo snorted in his sleep and curled into a ball, looking very much like a oversized cat. Yuki stared at the TV realizing he'd forgotten to turn it on, he stood up grumbling something about 'remote controls with legs' and switched the TV on. He sat back down to eat his soup. It was a nice change. He could never admit to the cat that he'd eaten the soup, let alone enjoyed it. It was his secret, and he only hoped Kyo would decide to cook more often.

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Thank you very much for reading minna! Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Cookies for all reviewers.


	2. Memories

Edit 28/12/05 : This is the same chapter, its just been betad.

**Konichiwa minna-san! bow First i'd like to thank ghostymangarocker, I Kagura love you! My first and only reviewer for chapter one. I guess chapte one was too dull ne? Well i hope you like this chapter better, and remeber i need your reviews, i need you to tell me if im doing a good job or if their out of character, please please please review!**

**Now, on with the story!**

**Flashback**

_A boy rested on the sill of the window, his chin and upper arms supporting his body. His hands dangled out the window. He was only about four or five, and he looked bored out of his mind. A bored child is no fun. A bored child kicks, screams and generally raises hell. But not this little boy. He stared longingly at the world outside. It was Autumn, early Autumn, and the leave had only just started to fall from the trees. The boy watched these leaves, counting under his breath how long they took to reach the ground. The wind occasionally blew in leaves to lay on his bright orange hair, only to then go back to dancing in the wind outside. He stretched out his small hands and tried to catch the leaves, but even they evaded him. He wasn't even allowed to touch the outside, he thought, scowling._

_The boy wasn't allowed outside. He didn't know why. His mother made many excuses, reasons why he shouldn't go outside. He'd always listened to her. She was his mother, and he loved her. She was all he had, and he'd be lost without her, he knew. He'd have to face the hatred of his family all alone, and that was a scary thought. So he always obeyed her._

_He wondered _why_ his family hated him so much. He hadn't been bad, at least he couldn't remember doing anything wrong. But everyone would always look at him so angrily, as if they hated him, as if they wanted him dead. He was very grateful to have his mother._

_She was out now, shopping, and he was alone. She wouldn't be long. She never was. She would always come back so quickly that the boy would think she had just popped out to the garden for a moment. She would come back breathless, her face flushed, and she would smile sweetly at him. She would grasp his hand and hold it tight, she never hugged him because of the curse. She would check his right wrist for the bracelet, and ask what had happened while she'd been gone. As if she expected the house to have burned down. The boy didn't understand this, she always seemed so worried when she came back. But a little voice in the back of his head, the little voice that was so mature, wise and mean -- having no place in the innocent mind of a child but existing anyways -- told him. It told him dark things, told him why his mother really was worried. It was not because she was worried about him, but because she was afraid, afraid of the _other _him. The boy closed his eyes at that thought and concentrated on looking for his mother. She'd be back soon._

_He saw a movement and sat up quickly, ready to run to the door to greet his mother. However, it wasn't her. It was just another child, one around his age, with silver hair and white skin. The boy was wearing a grey kimono with some sort of swirly pattern on it. In his hand was a brightly coloured bag of candy, and he walked as if lost in his own thoughts._

_The boy sighed and rested back on the sill, letting his arms dangle out limply. The boy was still there, standing in front of him now, looking at him. The boy's face broke into a grin and he ran over._

_"Hello!" he said in a friendly voice. A smile stretching his face, he asked eagerly, "Do you wanna come and play?" _

_The boy looked longingly at the Outside and shook his head._

_"I'm not allowed."_

_The silver haired child's grin faded, replacing itself with a frown._

_"Why?" He whispered, sounding deeply disappointed._

_"My Okaaaa-san says ... I'm not allowed." _

_The strange boy nodded, then his face lit again._

_"Do you have bad lungs? I got bad lungs. I had to stay in for a loooooong time, but Ha-chan made me better. Maybe he can make you better!"_

_The orange-haired boy shook his head slowly. "What I got, can't be made better." _

_The little boy looked very sad then, his large amethyst eyes shining with concern. "So..." he asked. What's your name?"_

_"Kyo."_

_"I'm Yuki!" the boy said, returning to his original cheerful manner. _

_Kyo giggled. "You're named after the snow." _

_Yuki frowned, looking cutely cross. "What's wrong with that?" he asked indignantly, hands resting on tiny hips. _

_"Nothing," Kyo smiled, "I like it, it suites you." _

_Yuki then blushed pink and looked away, suddenly shy. _

_"Yu-chan, Yu-chan where are you!" Yuki jumped at the voice. "Coming 'ka-san!" he yelled. The boy turned to Kyo and handed him the half eaten bag of sweets._

_"Here, take these. They taste nice," he said, thrusting the bag into Kyo's small hands and running off._

_"Bye bye Kyo-Chaaaan!" he yelled as he disappeared into the distance, looking back behind to Kyo and waving._

_Kyo looked at the brightly coloured bag. He was very rarely allowed sweets. And he'd never had this much, even if the bag was half empty. He smiled at the gift and hugged it. He didn't get gifts much either, as the only gifts he received were from his mother._

_"Kyo! I'm home!" Kyo quickly pocked the sweets and ran to the front door to greet his mother._

_And the same ritual happened, she held his hand tightly, checked his right wrist for the beads, and she asked him if anything had happened. For the first time he lied. He said what always said, nothing happened, but it wasn't true. Something very big had happened. He'd made a friend, his first friend, and he'd received his first real gift._

_All in all, Kyo was the happiest he'd ever been in his short life._

**End Flashback**

Kyo was bored. It was a Sunday which meant no school, plus, Shigure had gone to bother Hatori, along with the help of Ayame. Yuki was tending to his 'Not-So-Secret-Garden'. Two weeks had passed, Kyo had served his time and could look forward to afternoons not spent doing detention.

Nevertheless, his heart sank as he looked at the mess around him. He'd rather do detention every day than be here. The mess had now reached such a volume it reached the ceiling in every one of the first floor rooms. Only a small path remained to each room and a small area around the sofa. The mess was also starting to creep up the stairs. And Kyo would not let it reach his room.

He rolled up his sleeves and glared at the mess.

"Alright, the battle _has_ begun!" he announced. Kyo had to turn everything in to a fight, it was the only way he'd see it through. He would beat the mess, alright. There was no way he'd let the _clutter_ win.

Yuki sat in his garden, tending to the vegetables he was currently growing. He had just finished setting up various traps for garden pests, and he sat back to admire his work. Now his precious plants would be safe. He smiled at them and began talking to them in whispers. He'd read somewhere that talking to plants helped them grow, so he had started talking to them. He was glad no one was around, he'd have felt rather silly being caught talking to a bunch of plants, he decided, smiling. Thinking of his other options, which included either going into the house and trying to get a sensible conversation out of Shigure, or attempting any sort of conversation with Kyo that didn't end with a fight, he figured the plants were his safest bet.

He heard a commotion coming from the house and turned to look in it's direction, a dubious expression on his face. That stupid cat was shouting at something, probably shouting at whatever had tripped him up. That cat was so clumsy. Yuki smiled slightly, seeing Kyo annoyed was so much fun, except when it led to a fight, as it generally did. Right now, however, Yuki just wasn't in the mood to send the cat flying through another door.

So he sat back down and faced the plants. But Kyo was yelling so loudly it was hard to ignore. Yuki was far enough away not to be able to hear what he was shouting, but still ... it was irritating.

"Baka neko, he's so loud," Yuki complained to his plants, scowling. The plants moved gently in the wind, as if agreeing. The cat was on his mind now, and he couldn't seem to block him out. The shouting was starting to get on his nerves, too. Yuki's scowl deepened.

He wondered why Kyo always wanted to fight, and why he had to go along with it. Why he was expected to defeat the cat all the time.

Kyo was always so desperate when they fought, as if his very life depended on winning. That was probably the reason he lost all the time. The cat always seemed to have something else on his mind as he fought, if he just would concentrate, he might be able to defeat Yuki. But Yuki knew that was not allowed to happen. But the look in Kyo's eyes whenever he lost worried Yuki a little bit anyways. He always looked so sad and ...frightened?

Yuki shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. He wasn't meant to worry about or try to understand the cat, the only thing that was supposed to matter was that Yuki hated Kyo. The rat and the cat, it was always this way, it had to be. Why did Yuki feel that he truly didn't hate Kyo, then? Why did he feel he'd rather be friends than enemies? And why, why, why, did he always get a faint, sick little feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he beat the cat? A small part of him would always worry if the cat was all right after their fights. He stayed around long enough to see Kyo get up, see he wasn't hurt, then Yuki would leave.

But Kyo was family, and if there was something Yuki had always wanted, it was a big, close, happy family. Well, he had part of his wish, he had one of the biggest families in the world. But they weren't close and they were far from happy. Yuki hated the fighting, really. The only reason he fought was because of Akito.

Yuki closed his eyes and tried to stop thinking of Akito. It would only take the mention of his name to send Yuki into shivers of fear, remembering the way Akito treated him. They weren't a family. No, the Sohma's were more like a dictatorship. Akito was the powerful master everyone feared, he was the one who would hurt and torture anyone who angered him. _Everyone_ had to obey him. Then there was the way the main house was set up, divided between the Outside and the Inside. Those who lived on the outside, although part of the family, tended to be looked down upon and generally ignored by the those on the inside. Only those who were part of the Zodiac -- except for Kyo -- or deemed important enough, got to live on the inside. As if it were some 'great honor.' The Sohma's weren't a family, no, and Yuki hated it. He longed for another life, a life away from the curse, away from Akito, away from everything.

He hadn't noticed the tears begin to fall, and once they had started they were hard to stop. He wiped them away angrily, but they still came. He laughed at himself, how pitiful he was. He hated being like this. He didn't understand why Kyo fought so hard for it, fought so hard to be on the Inside. It really wasn't that great, in fact, it was horrible. On the Inside Akito could keep a closer eye on you, Yuki shuddered. He hated his life so much, why the hell would Kyo want it?

**Flashback**

_It was dark. So very dark. You wouldn't be able to see your own hand if you held it up in front of your eyes. A little boy sat curled in one of the corners, sobbing. He wasn't much older than six, and his cries were heartwrenching. They would have made anyone who heard them want to cry in sympathy for him, except for the one who stood in front of him. He smiled maliciously at the shaking bundle at his feet. The older boy wasn't even in his teens, but his eyes were so dark, and that grin so full of joy ... as if he enjoyed seeing others suffer._

_"Now, _rat_, do you see now why you hate the cat? It's the cats fault I had to do this to you, you see? You hate the cat ... don't you..." _

_They were not real questions. They were statements, orders, orders the boy must follow. He didn't want to be hurt more._

_The small child tried to crunch himself into an even smaller ball, but he winced with pain._

_He'd been in this room for five days. Subjected to Akito's punishments. Fed only enough to keep him alive. The small boy longed for his mother, to have her hug him and tell him everything was alright. Even if he ever got out of this room, he couldn't even have that moment. If his mother hugged him, he would transform._

_He always envied the other children. Envied the way their mothers could hug them, the careless gestures meaning so little, but at the same time, so much._

_"Yuki, tell me who is responsible for this?" Akito's voice was so cold._

_"The cat," Yuki whispered, not looking up._

_"Who do you hate, Yuki?"_

_"The cat." Still the boy didn't look up._

_"Who is the cat?"_

_"Kyo," he spoke to his legs. He hated Akito. Why did he always have to take his friends away?_

_"Shout it, Yuki. Be proud of it. Who do you hate?"_

_"The Cat!" The boys head shot up and he looked Akito straight in the eyes, tears running from his purple eyes, shimmering in the darkness. Akito smiled._

_"You may go home now, Yuki. But remember, I'll _know_ if you don't keep your promise."_

_Yuki nodded and bolted as soon as the door was opened. He ran out the front door and nearly tripped over the woman who waited there. She smiled at him through her tears._

_"Yu-chan!" she said happily and took the little boys hand._

_"I'm so sorry Yu-chan." Yuki didn't say anything but squeezed his mothers hand tightly._

_The walk home was a short one. Yuki still hurt a lot. His back felt red raw. And he still only longed for a simple hug. A hug that wouldn't be broken by him transforming._

_The door shut, and Yuki's mother kneeled down so her face was level with her son's. _

_"I'm so sorry. Do you forgive me, Yu-chan?" she asked tearfully._

_Yuki nodded. It wasn't his mothers fault. She smiled at him. Before he could stop her she threw her arms around him and held him close. There was a split second where Yuki could smile and feel truly happy as his mother's love surrounded him. Then he was the rat. His mother looked down at the trembling little grey rat in her hands and hugged it close to her chest. Yuki snuggled closer to the warmth and let his tears flow._

_His mother carried him to his room and set the little grey rat on the pillow._

_"I'll go make you something to eat ... okay?" she said, and left._

_Yuki snuggled into the pillow feeling sadder than ever and he closed his eyes, longing for the freedom of dreams. He was so tired it didn't take long for sleep to claim him. He transformed with a small pop and that how his mother found him, curled up and his pillow fast asleep._

_She smiled at her son and moved him into a comfier position, taking care not to touch his back and transform him again. She then tucked the blanket around her son and kissed him on the forehead._

_"Someday, we'll get away from here, Yuki. I promise. We'll go to a place where you can be happy. I long for that so much, Yuki." She kissed him again and left the room. _

_Waiting outside the door was her older son, looking pale and worried. "Is he okay?" he asked. _

_The woman smiled sadly. "Yes, Aya, he'll live. The emotional scars will take a long time to heal, however. Try to be a bit nicer to your brother, okay? He needs it."_

_The snake nodded quickly, and the woman's smile widened. She kissed her son on the forehead, and whispered a 'thank you.' Ayame just glared at her with the traditional teenage scowl, causing her to laugh. _

_"So what do you want for dinner?"_

**End Flashback**

By the time Yuki had stopped crying, the noise from the house had stopped. The place was eerily quiet now, and Yuki didn't like it one bit. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes before walking back to the house.

He opened the door and almost fell backwards in shock. The house was..._tidy_? When he'd left this morning the mess had been so bad there was barely enough room to walk. The house wasn't spotless, but all the rubbish was now in black bag and waiting outside for the bin men. All of Shigure's possessions, (and they were mainly Shigure's, Yuki's and Kyo's possessions were kept safe in their rooms), were stacked in piles here and there. Not exactly neat, but a vast improvement.

Yuki frowned, deep in thought. Maybe some strange burglar had come into the house and instead of stealing their stuff, had tided it up. Maybe that's what the shouting had been about. Maybe the 'thief' had caught Kyo by surprise and they had fought, maybe the thief had even killed Kyo.

_"Mustn't get my hopes up,"_ said a nasty voice in his head, and Yuki instantly felt that sick feeling in his stomach as he thought of Kyo lying dead in a pool of blood.

Yuki shook his head again, he was letting his imagination run away with him. It must have been either Kyo or Shigure who'd finally snapped and tidied up a bit. And considering Shigure had always lived in a bit of a mess -- his room proved it -- it must have been Kyo.

Yuki walked through the house looking for the cat, just to check and see that Kyo hadn't been killed by a mad burglar.

Yuki found the cat easily. He was curled up on the sofa, asleep. His cat ears and tail were poking out and he looked rather cute. His face was relaxed, not contorted in anger or a scowl as usual. Yuki smiled inwardly, considering whether or not he should wake the cat, just to annoy him. But he couldn't do it. He walked to the front of the sofa and kneeled down so he was looking at Kyo's face.

**Flashback**

_Kyo sat by the window again, he was around six now and he was waiting for Yuki. He didn't get to see his friend often. They had both told each other by now what Zodiac animals they were. They were glad to have someone to talk to who understood how it felt. It was only safe to talk when his mother wasn't there, however. Kyo looked around nervously, wishing his mother to take her time, then he saw the head of silver hair he'd been looking for._

_"Yu-chan! Yu-Chan!" he shouted and waved. The small boy stopped and stiffened. He was about ten feet away from the window Kyo hung out of._

_"Leave me alone, baka neko." the boy said quietly and started to walk away._

_"Yuki! Wait!" Kyo said jumping up on the window sill, his whole body now hanging out the window, but he was too afraid to jump out. Even though the jump was only a few feet, he knew his mother would be angry if he went outside._

_The boy had stopped but didn't look at Kyo._

_"I don't want to be your friend anymore, baka neko. I HATE YOU!" Yuki faced him now the tears streaming down his pale face. Kyo froze, he didn't know what to say, Yuki hated him? But they were friends. Weren't they?_

_"Yuki...?"_

_"Just shut up, baka neko, baka neko, BAKA NEKO! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Yuki shouted as he ran off, his back aching as if warning, 'Don't look back, don't say anymore, just run away from the cat.'_

_Tears fell down Yuki's cheeks. He hated shouting at his friend, he hated saying those nasty things, he hated Akito._

_Kyo hadn't moved, he was too shocked. Tears ran freely down his face unnoticed. He wanted to run after Yuki, but he wasn't allowed outside. He sniffed, and the sniff broke into a sob, the sob broke into a heart wrenching wail as the boy curled tightly in a ball and cried his heart out. He was sobbing so loudly, Yuki heard him and froze, feeling incredibly guilty. But he had to keep running. Akito would hurt him again if he talked to Kyo. Yuki paused for a few more seconds and then ran._

_Kyo was still sitting on the window sill, crying so hard his whole body shook, when his mother came home. She ran over to him and tried to comfort him, but he wouldn't tell her what was wrong. Even if he had wanted to, he couldn't have. He was crying too hard. His mother took his hand and led him to his room. She made him lie down and tucked the blanket around the still crying boy, crying as if his heart would break._

_She left then to put away the shopping. Kyo still crying. He'd lost his only friend. The only one who understood how it felt to be _

_different, Yuki was the only one who he could talk to, who understood. And he'd lost him. Why?_

_'Because you're the cat, everyone hates the cat.' his mind whispered to him._

_Kyo cried even more at that, it seemed as if he would never stop crying._

_"I _hate_ you, kuso nezumi," he whispered to himself, between sobs._

_His mother stood in the doorway, her face pained. She loved her son so much, and she tried so hard to accept him. But it was hard, hard for her, and hard for her son. She longed to comfort him, to give him the happy childhood he deserved._

_"I'm sorry Kyo. You deserve better than me." she whispered and then walked quietly to her room, to curl up on her futon. She wouldn't cry though. She wouldn't allow that._

**End Flashback**

Kyo stirred in his sleep. Yuki jumped back, suddenly realizing what he was doing. He stood up quickly and stormed to his room, angry with himself. "Baka neko," he muttered under his breath. Yuki headed for his room, deciding to make a start on his homework.

Kyo woke up about an hour later, feeling well rested and pleased with himself. The house may not been the neatest around, but it _was_ an improvement. If Shigure or Yuki dared to mess it up again after he'd worked so hard to make the place presentable, he'd kill them.

He stretched, arching his back and letting out a contented sigh. He sat up slowly and went to get a glass of milk. It was his fault there was hardly ever milk in the house. He drank so much of it, the cartons would be empty before the day was over. It annoyed Yuki so much when he couldn't have milk with his cereal, he thought happily. It made him feel fiercely triumphant. If he had to live here, he might as well make the rat as miserable as he was.

After his drink he walked up the stairs and walked to his room. He passed Yuki's room on the way and noticed the door was closed, and the faint scratching of pen on paper could be heard. Kyo frowned, it seemed the damn rat was back. Unless, of course, some fangirl had broken in and was now writing love letters to Yuki all over his wall. Kyo grinned. He hoped it was the latter, it would anger Yuki to no end.

Kyo wondered briefly why the rat hadn't woken him up to tease him about cleaning up. He dismissed the thought and went to take a shower. He felt all hot and sweaty for some reason, even though the day was quite cool.

He let the water run until it was the right temperature, then stripped and stepped under the stream of water. He leaned his head back and let the beads of water hit his face and run through his hair. He sighed. It felt so nice to be finally felt clean after a hard days work.

He sighed as he thought of the homework he should have done, maybe he'd have time to finish it later.

There was still plenty of time. He also thought of the fight he hadn't had, normally he'd have fight with Yuki every day, but he always lost. Maybe he'd challenge him tomorrow. He also thought of Kasuma, the only family he had left. The only one who didn't look at him with revulsion. He'd lost his mother a long time ago, not long after he'd lost his first friend.

He still remember vaguely his short friendship with the rat when he was little. It had been nice and comforting to have a friend to talk to. When Yuki had yelled at him, called his a baka neko, and said he'd hated him, it had broke the little boys heart. He started questioning himself. What had he done wrong? He couldn't think of anything other than the fact he was the cat. He started to hate himself. It had been Yuki's fault, too, when Akito had seen his other form.

Kyo growled quietly to himself. Who needed the damn rat anyways? Not him, that was for sure. Kyo had always been alone, never really having more than one person he could rely on at a time. He knew it was hopeless to hope for more.

If only he could beat the rat. Maybe then his family would except him and not look at him with the revulsion that he saw in them now.

**Flashback**

_The little boy had stopped crying by now, and he lay in bed perfectly still. The dry trail of the tears he had cried were the only remains of his sadness. He blinked again, still staring at the same point on the wall._

_He sat up, a determined look on his face. He was going to find Yuki, he was going to ask him what he'd done wrong, and he was going to apologize. He was sure Yuki would forgive him if he said sorry, he _had _to._

_Kyo walked quietly to his window and opened it. There was only a small drop of about three feet to the ground, but to Kyo it was huge, like asking someone to jump the Grand Canyon. He looked at the outside again and swallowed around the lump in his throat, suddenly scared. He could do this, just this once. He had too._

_Taking a deep breath he climbed fully onto the window sill and dangled out the window. He took another deep breath, and jumped. He landed gracefully. He stood, looking around quickly. He ran in the direction Yuki had gone, and hoped it wouldn't take too long to find his friend._

_"Kyo, your dinner's ready...Kyo...KYO!" Kyo's mother dropped the tray she'd been carrying and ran to the open window. She leaned out, looking all around._

_"KYO!" she thought she saw a spot of orange run around the corner, and without thinking she climbed out the window and ran after her son._

_Kyo was now running around the main house, he was on the Inside land now. He knew he shouldn't be here, but he had to find Yuki._

_He called out as loud as he dared as he continued to run, sure that any moment someone would catch him and take him home, scream at him and hurt him. But he wasn't scared, he had to find Yuki and say he was sorry for whatever he'd done._

_He ran past a house where the door stood open, as if inviting him in. A figure stood in the shadows. Kyo walked closer, unsure._

_"Yuki?" he cried as the figure moved, walking deeper into the shadow. Kyo could also make out someone else standing behind the shadow, taller than him. Even though it was quite obvious it wasn't Yuki, Kyo felt drawn into the house. And it _could _be Yuki, he told himself._

_"Yuki, wait!" he yelled and ran into the house._

_Kyo's mother turned the corner just in time to see her son run into Akito's house._

_"No, Kyo come back!"_

_"Yuki," Kyo walked closer, unsure again. This wasn't Yuki, this boy was taller._

_"Hello, Kyo. Do you know who I am?" Kyo shook his head, backing away._

_"I'm Akito, head of the Sohma family. No need to be afraid."_

_Kyo gulped and backed out even more, he saw every reason to be afraid. He was just about to run to the door, when a cold pale hand clasped around his left wrist, around the bead on his wrist. Kyo froze and Akito smiled, a smile that sent shivers of fear down the boy's spine._

_"You're the cat, correct? But that's not your only form -- is it?"_

_Kyo was shaking now, terrified._

_"What would happen ...I wonder ... If I took these beads off?" and the hand around his wrist slowly went down, taking the beads with it. Slowly the beads rolled down his wrist, down his hand and into Akito's hand. Akito smiled again. Kyo backed away, able to take another step before he screamed in pain and bent over double. He was transforming, and it hurt so bad. He screamed and screamed, hugging himself tightly. He fell to the ground and the smoke started to form around him._

_He didn't see his mother run through the door and stop behind him, didn't hear her small sob as she realized it was too late._

_The smoke cleared and left behind not a boy, but a monster, unlike anything Akito had seen before. Its skin was a dark green, its body was shaped grotesquely, tattered remains of clothes fell at it's feet._

_"This is Kyo's true form?" Akito was still clutching the beads, "His body's all warped and ugly. And what's that smell?" Akito now held his arm over his face. Only his eyes showed, revealing deep disgust._

_"He smells terrible. It smells like something's rotting. Is this the cats spirit's true form? It's disgusting! You aren't even human. You're a _monster_." Akito was laughing now, delighting in the pain Kyo was going though._

_"DON'T LOOK!" Kyo turned at the sound of his mothers voice._

_"No one look at my child!" she stood in front of him, arms spread, trying to protect him, too late. Akito sneered and threw the beads at her. She caught them easily and stared at him, fear evident on her face._

_"Take your child if you must," he grimaced, giving her a cold look. "I though I had told you though, never to let him out. Leave now, and take the monster with you." he turned around and calmly walked away. The person who'd been standing behind Akito stayed for a second, taking in the sad picture in front of him. Akito was too cruel sometimes. He took of the jacket he'd been wearing and gave it to Kyo's mother, then turned around and followed Akito._

_Kyo's mother kneeled in front of her son and waited. It didn't take long for him to change back, and when he did she slipped the beads back onto his wrist. She went to wrap the jacket around him but stopped when her son spoke._

_"Oka-san, am I really not human?"_

_"Akito's wrong! You are human, like everyone else. You're just under an evil spell for a little while that makes you turn into that." she said comfortingly. _

_She put the jacket on her son and did up all the buttons to keep him warm. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet._

_"Let's go home now." Kyo didn't say anything. Tears were once again running down his face, but he wasn't sobbing, he didn't make a sound. He just followed his mother home._

_Yuki watched Kyo and his mother leave Akito's house, a sick feeling of worry hitting him. He could see Kyo's face, his friend was crying. What had Akito done to him?_

_Yuki wanted to run to him and ask him if he was okay, but he couldn't. He couldn't face what Akito would do to him if he did that. He'd rather listen to Akito and hate Kyo, it was safer. So Yuki just stood there, watching. He had heard Kyo calling him, that's why he was standing on the corner right now, hiding. He'd seen Kyo run into Akito's house, why ... he didn't know. He'd heard the screams of pain, and that's when he'd nearly ran over there, to help Kyo. But his fear of Akito held him in place. He watched Kyo leave, and when the boy was out of sight he turned away and walked back to his home._

**End Flashback**

Kyo could feel a few tears run down his cheek, or maybe it was just the water.

_'You aren't even human. You're a monster.' _

Kyo punched the wall in anger as the voice echoed around his head.

"I am human, I am!" he shouted to himself, at the voice.

"I am human." he whispered.

Quickly he got out of the shower, dried and changed and locked himself in his room, he didn't want to face anyone today. He hadn't thought about that day in ages. Why did the memory have to come back now?

When Shigure came home he thought he'd walked into the wrong house. The place was neater than it had _ever _been. Then he smiled.

_"Ohhhhhhh! Maybe Yuki or Kyo hired a maid! I hope she's cute!" _he said to himself joyfully he ran around the house, searching for the maid who wasn't there. After his searching he stopped at the stairs, looking as if Christmas had been cancelled.

"I know, I'll ask Yuki!" he said as he ran upstairs, back to his cheerful self.

Without knocking he open Yuki's door and strode into the room.

"Yuuuuuuuuuuki! Did you hire a maid? Huh? Huh? Did you? Where is she?" he asked in one breath, looking around the room as if he expected Yuki to have hidden her in his closet.

"Kuso inu, don't you know how to knock! And no. I did not hire a maid, Kyo clean the place." Shigure looked crestfallen. But then his face broke into and evil grin.

"I better go thank him, then!" he said, running out of Yuki's room.

"Baka Inu," Yuki laughed, this would be good.

"Kyoooooooooooooo-Kun! I hear you make a good maid. You know, I could get you a nice maid costume, you'd look quite cute in it!"

"WHAT THE HELL! YOU PERVERTED DOG! THAT THE LAST TIME I'M CLEANING YOUR DAMN MESS UP! NEXT TIME I'LL JUST SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE! NOW GET OUT HENTAI!"

There was a loud crash, and Yuki looked out into the corridor. Kyo was standing at the top of the stairs looking absolutely furious.

Yuki walked up to him and stood beside him. At the bottom of the stairs sat a crumpled heap, known as Shigure.

"Is he dead?" Yuki asked innocently.

"Of course he isn't dead. He'd survive an atomic bomb just to spite everyone!" Kyo stormed away to his room and Yuki silently agreed with him. Shigure groaned slightly and struggled to untangle himself from his kimono that seemed to have come a bit messed up and now looked as if it was trying to strangle him.

"Baka inu." Yuki said shaking his head and headed back to his room.

It was only when Yuki snuggled down to go to sleep, that he realized he'd just had a normal conversation with Kyo.

Yuki liked night time because it was so much quieter. He lay in bed, staring at nothing. He just couldn't get to sleep. He wasn't a bit tired and it bugged him. He had school tomorrow and that meant getting up early.

He sighed angrily, he liked the night, but he didn't want to stay up all night, maybe a little walk around the house would help. He left his room and headed for the stairs quietly, but a noise made him stop.

He could hear a faint voice, so quiet he couldn't make out the words. It sounded pained, scared. Yuki walked towards the voice and stopped in front of Kyo's door. It was definitely coming from there. He frowned. Yuki heard the voice again, evidently Kyo was having a nightmare.

Yuki was just about to open the door when he caught himself. Why should he care if the stupid cat was having a nightmare? He was just about to walk away when a shout stopped him.

"You're wrong, Akito...I am human!" Yuki froze. It must have been a bad dream if Akito was in it. A picture of a small boy, walking away from Akito's house, wrapped in a oversized jacked, holding tightly to his mothers hand, silent tears running down his face came to Yuki's mind, and without hesitating he opened the door.

Kyo was thrashing about on his futon, his blanket tied around him, he would whimper now and then or shout something out, Yuki didn't catch much of it, nor did he know what to do now he was here.

He walked closed to Kyo and sat down, a feet away from him. He couldn't wake the cat. That would just be a bad idea. Slowly Yuki stretched his hand out and brushed Kyo's cheek with his fingertips. He scowled angrily at Kyo, as if Kyo was making him do this. But as he brushed Kyo's cheek, he found he didn't mind too much, and that scared him.

Kyo flinched as if expecting pain, but none came and he relaxed, Yuki was glad he also stayed asleep. Yuki gently brushed Kyo's cheek until he'd stopped thrashing about and stopped mumbling in his sleep.

Kyo now lay still, a small smile on his face, obviously lost in a more pleasant dream. Yuki stood and left, slowly sliding the door shut. Kyo open his eye a crack and stared sleepily at the retreating figure. He smiled though, and went back to sleep instantly.

Yuki tried to stop his heart from pounding. He was very lucky Kyo hadn't woken and Yuki suddenly felt very tired. He curled up on the futon and closed his eyes. A small voice in his head mocked him for helping the cat.

"No one deserves a nightmare about Akito," he whispered, and the voice went silent. Yuki smiled again and soon enough he was asleep.

Another door slid closed. It had only been open a crack and Yuki hadn't notice. Shigure smiled.

"They're finally maturing a little!" he smiled again.

_"Aya and Hari will love this!"_

It was about time Kyo and Yuki at least were civil to each other.

**Flashback**

_Akito was mad. Things weren't quite working out right, weren't going his way. The rat was still too soft. True, his fear of Akito had stopped him from talking to the cat, but still._

_Akito paced the room, trying to think of a solution._

_"What to do, what to do?"_

_An image suddenly came to his mind, it was of Yuki and his mother. Akito smiled. Yes, it was definitely the fault of that woman. She was too kind, too overprotective. She had to go. Akito walked to the phone and dialed a number. After three rings the phone was answered._

_"Hatori, I am in need of your .. services. Please hurry."_

_"You need me now?" Hatori said unsurely, he knew this meant only one thing. He had to suppress someone's memory._

_"Yes." Akito's tone left no room for argument, and the line went dead before Hatori could say anything._

_Yuki was sitting on the floor playing in one of his happier moods. His mother sat opposite playing the game too, her smile always staying brilliant, even though she'd been playing the game with her son for about two hours now. The phone rang and she smiled apologetically._

_"Please excuse me, Yu-chan, I'll be right back. Okay?" the little boy nodded and his mother smiled._

_"Hello," she fell silent, the frowned as the voice on the other end continued talking, "Okay...fine. I'll be there soon."_

_"Yu-chan, I have to go out for a bit, alright?"_

_The boy frowned and looked disappointed, but he didn't complain._

_"Aya...AYA!"_

_"WHAT!" came an irritated voice from upstairs._

_"Aya, I need you to watch your brother. I'm going out now for a bit. Aya...AYA .. are you listening?"_

_"Yes, yes!" a teenager with long silver hair came stomping down the stairs._

_"I'll be back soon. Love you both!" she kissed each of them on the forehead and left._

_"Akito-sama," the woman bowed, "May I ask why you wanted to see me?"_

_"Yes, bad news, I'm afraid. You have become somewhat of a liability. You are far to soft on your son, and I'm afraid I can't have you around anymore."_

_"Wha...wha...what do you mean?" the woman cried as she backed away slowly, eyes widening in fright. Hatori came through the door, then stopped._

_"Hatori, you know what to do." Akito pointed at Yuki's mother, who was frozen to the spot._

_The woman turned her pleading gaze to Hatori._

_"Please no, please no!" she turned and bolted for the door. But two men stopped her, she recognized them as people who worked in Akito's house, butlers or something. They held her arms firmly and held her in place. Hatori strode closer. He looked scared and ... sorry._

_"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! I DON'T WANT TO FORGET! I WON'T!" she screamed, tears streaming down her eyes. Hatori stood in front of her bowed head._

_"I'm sorry," he said as his hand rested on her head._

_"Please...please take care of Yuki and Ayame...please?" Hatori nodded and she slumped, suddenly going limp, the fight leaving her._

_Two seconds...two seconds was the most it took to suppress a mother's memories of her sons. She collapsed, unconscious. Hatori caught her as the men let her go._

_"She will no longer live in this house. Or anywhere near here. Please carry her to the car." Akito said as he led the way._

_It had started to rain. Two silver haired boys stood waiting in the doorway. Watching the rain._

_"Where's 'ka-san?" the younger boy asked._

_The older boy frowned. "I don't know."_

_They never saw their mother again, Akito let them believe she had died, but the grave with her name on it remained empty._

**End Flashback**

The next day Yuki was actually awake before Kyo. This was practically a miracle, as Yuki was never up before Kyo. In fact, this was a first.

"Hurry up, baka neko, or we'll be late!" there was a thud upstairs, and then hurried footsteps. Kyo appeared at the top of the stairs second later, dressed with his hair sticking up at odd angles and tie loose.

"No one asked you to wait for me, kuso nezumi!" Yuki just muttered under his breath and left with Kyo following him. Bickering as they walked to school, Shigure watched them leave from his window, smiling. Their bickering was calmer today and they hadn't broken so much as a bowl for at least two days.

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Longer chapter this time. nn hope you liked it, remeber, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! PLEASE! I need you to tell me what you like, what you dont like and if the characters are in character Oo. Im sorry the first two chapters are kinda dull, but im just trying to show why they hate eachither, why they fight, and leaving an opening for their friendship to begin. The next chapter should be more interesting. Oh and some of the dialog in the dreams/flashback in chapter 1 and 2 are from the manga. The ones who read the manga will know what parts are from the manga, anyone who hasn't. Well you'll know when you do read the manga nn

NOw remeber, REVIEW!


	3. Anniversary

** This is the same chapter it's just been betad **

**Im back with another chapter! Woohoo aren't you lucky! Anyway, i change the title for one, because i didn't like it, so its the same fict, diffrent title. First i'd like to shout out a big THANK YOU to _ghostymangarocker_ for reviewing every chaptet so far. I LOVE YOU! Next _liza_ glomp thank so much for reading and leaving a review. And _Jen-Tao07_. Thank you, im glad you liked it! **

**Now on with the chapter. Rember, reviews mean so much, so please leave one. Their good for your health and mine.**

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It was nearing Christmas and the weather was getting colder by the day. The first snowflakes had started to fall, making the landscape look as if it was sprinkled with icing sugar. The fine, powdery snow lay everywhere, not thick enough to cover everything, but enough to announce its arrival loudly. And also to make everything, and everyone, mind numbingly cold.

Yuki snuggled further into his covers, willing his teeth to stop chattering. The cold had woken him up, two hours early. _Damn! It had no consideration!_ He had to go to school soon as well, and he needed his wits about him in that place. Now the cold that had been so inconsiderate in waking him, kept him awake and refused to let him go back to sleep.

It was safe to say Yuki was not happy, and his unhappiness was rapidly escalating into anger. Pity the poor idiot, (aka, Kyo), who would walk across Yuki's path when the boy finally dragged himself out of bed.

Little did the residents of the house know, all of them were actually awake. Shigure was currently writing an idea that had just struck him, and he just had had to write it down before he forgot. Yuki was tossing and turning, tryin to sleep. And Kyo? Kyo was actually trying to be quiet, for once, as he dressed.

Well, he was just too preoccupied to be loud and obnoxious. Now if this scene wasn't odd enough, there was the fact that he wasn't getting dressed into his school uniform. He was wearing a pair of black trousers and a black t-shirt. Not far off from his school uniform, but it wasn't his uniform.

After dressing Kyo sat on the bed, still lost in thought.

_'Why am I doing this?'_ he asked himself angrily, standing up to get undressed. Changing his mind again, he sat down and sighed. There were too many emotions were tumbling around inside him, making it too much for the cat to take. He growled angrily and stalked around his room before finally heading for the door and down to the kitchen for breakfast.

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There was still an hour left, Yuki thought frantically, a glorious hour of sleep, _if only_ he could get to sleep!

He rolled over again trying to get comfortable, trying to ignore the cold that was breathing over his feet. He curled his legs up and tucked his feet to him, but still he was cold and uncomfortable. Now, that damn cat was awake, trying to be quiet, which was more annoying than when he was being his usual loud self. Yuki sighed again and threw the covers off. It was no use, he may as well get dressed.

Angrily, Yuki threw on his school uniform. First he out his trousers on backwards, then he buttoned his shirt all wrong. He was just about ready to scream in fury when he finally managed to get dressed. Now all that was left was the tie. He glared at it. The tie always caused the biggest problems.

On his first try he managed to tie the tie around his fingers. Glaring, he tried again. Only this time, getting the tie in more of a mess. On various other tries he managed to tie the stupid tie around his head, hair and wrist. He was just about to give up, but decided to give it one last go.

Yuki finally managed to tie the evil-demon-tie-from-hell around his neck and not get it tied around anything else. He was glad Kyo couldn't see the trouble he had with a stupid tie, the cat would have never let him forget it.

To his surprise Yuki found Shigure already in the kitchen, reading the paper. Kyo was there as well, eating some toast. Yuki yawned and sat down. He really was to tired to walk further, he hope Shigure would take pity on him and get him his breakfast.

No such luck. Yuki watched as Kyo ate and Shigure read the paper. It was then he noticed what Kyo was wearing.

_'Why isn't he wearing his uniform?'_

Yuki searched his memory for any special holidays or reasons that they might be let off school. He could think of none. And although it was snowing, it was nowhere near bad enough be called a snow day. Yuki was stumped.

"Baka neko, we have school today, you know."

"I know," Kyo said calmly. Yuki frowned. Why wasn't Kyo attempting to bite his head off? It really was a strange day. "I'm not going." Kyo added, then stood up to deposit his plate in the sink.

Yuki frowned again.

"You can't just take a day off school when you feel like it."

Shigure watched over his paper, his face blank. He knew why Kyo wasn't going to school. At least he _thought_ he did ...? He frowned, slightly confused.

Kyo was heading for the door, and Yuki followed him, buzzing in frustration. It was obvious to Shigure that the rat had had a bad night, and was taking his frustration out on Kyo. What was strange about the situation was the fact Kyo wasn't even trying to fight back. He didn't reply to anything Yuki said, and then merely walked to the door. He grabbed his coat, buttoning it tightly around himself. He put his shoes on and opened the door.

Yuki yelled as the cold hit him. He ran back to the kitchen, cursing the cat. Kyo ignored it all and set off for his destination.

"Aren't you even going to stop him? You _are _supposed to be our guardian." Yuki said the last word sceptically, Shigure wasn't the best choice for a guardian, but he was better than Akito, or Ayame.

Shigure ruffled his paper and turned the page.

"Nothing I can do. He's already phoned the school, and they allowed him to take the day off."

_'Sure, Kyo lies to the school.'_ Yuki fumed_. 'I really could do with a day off, but I'm not about to go aound lying to the school then wandering off for god-knows-where.'_

Yuki ate his breakfast quickly, and soon it was time for him to leave. He didn't bother to say goodbye to Shigure as he left, he never did. Buttoning up his coat, Yuki changed his shoes, then threw his body out into the cold.

Small flakes of snow blew into his eyes and he had to blink quickly to get rid of them. Yuki was definitely in a bad mood as he walked towards the school, shivering.

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Kyo walked along the road, staring in front of him. The flower he had bought rested in the crook of his arm as he inwardly debated whether or not to go. He could still make it to school if he ran. He stopped, and considered it.

The flowers' scent wafted up to his sensitive nose and he stared at them, as if he only just noticed they were there. They weren't a very impressive bunch, although the colours were nice and bright.

Kyo hadn't had much spare cash, so the small bunch was all he could have afforded. He would not ask Shigure for any money either, as he would have to explain why he wanted the money. And talking about it would make what he was about to do real. At the moment, he still felt as if he was walking in a dream.

Kyo shook his head, realizing he was being stupid, but he continued to walk. He finally arrived at the small shrine and entered. The place was deserted, not even a shrine maiden around. Kyo shivered. It seemed colder here somehow.

Kyo walked along the line of graves before finally stopping.

"Ohayou, Okaa-san."

The small monument gave no reply, not that he expected it to. The inscription on the monument was simple. His mother's name, date of birth, and date of death were written on it in small, neat characters. Kyo stared at the grave, feeling uneasy.

The shrine belonged to the Sohma family. Kyo's mother had been cremated. A small chamber stood underneath the grave holding the ashes. There was a place for incense, flowers, and water. A bunch of wilting flowers sat on the grave, looking pathetic. Kyo took the flowers and set them aside, then put his bouquet in the small pot for flowers.

He had been thinking of his mother a lot lately. It bothered him. He hadn't visited her grave once before in all the time she lay here. A part of him had been too afraid, a part of him didn't care. Kyo also missed her, no matter how much he hated her for lying, for leaving him. He missed her so much it hurt. That was really why he never came to her grave.

He was always torn in two where his mother was concerned. The logical, nasty part of him hated her because he knew she had been afraid of him, she hadn't loved him. Couldn't love him no matter how hard she tried.

Nevertheless, the child in him knew his mother had loved him. She had kept him even when many people had tried to persuade her to give him over to Akito or worse, kill him. She had refused and kept her child, she had raised him.

But always with fear in her eyes.

The pain of loosing his mother was locked deep within his heart. It was crushed under layers of anger and hate, but not buried deep enough so that it couldn't be uncovered.

Kasuma had the ability to keep his pain buried, just by being there. Being around Shigure and Yuki had the opposite effect. Kyo shook his head. It wasn't their fault. They had said anything about his mother. Kyo didn't even know if they knew she was dead.

The child in him cried. Longed for a mother to love him. But that was part of the Sohma curse. You weren't allowed to know love, to feel it, to give it or receive it.

"Bakemono!"

A loud shrill voice echoed around him and he felt something hard collide with the side of his face. He stumbled and fell. Staring at his attacker, He couldn't even muster the strength to be angry.

The woman stood above him fuming, her fists clenched. He recognized her as a good friend of his mothers. She looked furious to see him there.

"How dare you, how dare you come here!" She picked up the flowers he had left and threw them at him.

"How dare you act like you care, when it's your fault she's dead. How dare you, bakemono!"

She kicked him hard in the face spitefully. Kyo fell backwards, sprawled on the floor. He tried to get up but she kicked him again in the ribs. Kyo could taste blood on his lips, slowly trickling from his nose. He found he didn't care. The woman was crying with rage now. She gave one last kick, which Kyo managed to avoid, before turning angrily away.

Kyo didn't fight back. He didn't even think of it. Too lost in thought. In memories he would rather forget.

Kyo didn't bother to stay. He knew it had been a bad idea. Many years ago today a small child had walked in to find his mother dead. Many years ago today, it seemed like a lifetime ago, Kyo had been all alone in the world.

The flowers lay where Kyo had been, scattered over the ground. A few petals had fallen off. The woman glared at them. "_How dare _that boy _come to her grave. He hadn't even cried at her funeral. He truly is a monster, just like Akito always said."_

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As Kyo's anger grew, the mask slowly slipped back into place. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. Sure -- he'd been thinking of his mother lately. That was no excuse for his weakness, however. He growled angrily at himself, his orange hair standing on end. He could still taste the blood on his lips but made no move to brush it away.

His nose had stopped bleeding anyway, and it wasn't broken. His rips ached a bit in protest, but the pain was ignorable. It was still very early -- he could go back and change, then go to school. But he really couldn't be bothered.

He needed time to think, needed time to beat himself up about being so weak. Needed time to get his old anger back and hide behind it once again.

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Shigure sat staring out of the window, waiting for Kyo. He couldn't help it, he was worried. It was the anniversary of the boy's mothers death. How could he not be worried?

Even _he_ was meant to hate the cat, but he just couldn't bring himself too feel the way. Kyo brought a life and energy with him wherever he went. Everyone outside the family tended to like him and feel drawn to him. Shigure laughed, Akito was going to be so angry. Akito was more trouble then he was worth. Even Akito, however, had his own hidden demons that he hid, just like the rest of the members of the Zodiac.

It's seemed a tradition in the Sohma family. For every member of the zodiac to hide behind a mask. Hide their true feelings. It was all rather stupid in his opinion; thinga would be much better if everyone was more open.

It was Yuki's head of silver hair that he saw first. Shigure frowned. _'How long have I been sitting here?'_ he wondered. Looking at the clock, he saw it was the normal time Yuki and Kyo came back from school.

_'Wow, I have been sitting here for ages.'_

But Kyo still wasn't back, and he wasn't with Yuki. Shigure had expected Kyo either to come back to the house or go to school after visiting the grave. He had done neither, and now the small knot of worry in Shigure's chest tightened.

_'Where the hell is that stupid cat?'_

Yuki walked in, letting in the cold air that had been beating at the door all day. He took off his coat and threw his bag down. He took off his shoes and put on the house slippers, which now felt like ice blocks. He frowned when he saw another pair of slippers, still lying in the place their owner had left them that morning.

Kyo clearly wasn't back, his coat was missing as well. Not that it bothered him in the slightest, Yuki thought as he shook his head.

Yuki spotted Shigure sitting near the window, looking as if he was waiting for something.

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Kyo was cold - scratch that - he now had a good idea how a snowman felt. He was sure his butt was frozen to the rock he was sitting on. Stupid winter.

Kyo was sitting by a lake. The water flowing in the lake had slowed to a trickle, the sound was soothing to him. Kyo hated water, but he didn't mind sitting by the lake, as long as no one asked him to go in it. He shivered at the thought.

He should have gone back to school. He had now missed a full day and he hated having to catch up on homework. Especially when Yuki was the only one he could ask to help him.

Kyo could ask someone else, but that meant interacting with _people_. Kyo didn't really care for that much, they were usually fine to talk to for just a few moments, but after that Kyo began to get annoyed.

Kyo may attract people to him like some odd magnet, but he'd have much rather been left alone most of the time. That was the main reason he always retreated to the roof of any building he was in. But there was no roof here, just the rock that his butt was currently frozen to.

Damn stupid rock!

Kyo decided to test his theory and see if he really was stuck to the rock. He shifted slightly, having the brains not to stand up just in case he really was stuck.

Well, he tried to shift, but he only move from the waist up. He was firmly stuck to the rock. Kyo growled. This just wasn't his day.

Now, he had two choices. Wait until the ice thawed, which would probably be in spring, or risk standing up and tearing his pants. That would mean walking home with a huge hole in his pants, revealing his lovely boxers for all the world to see.

He could always opt for the second one at night, where there was less of a chance of being seen. He thought of the first option. He would most certainly be dead if he stayed here until spring. He was now so cold he didn't think he could get any colder, so death by freezing didn't seem too bad.

But Kyo was stubborn. He still had to beat Yuki. He had to show the family that he did belong. He had to show Akito that he wasn't a monster.

So reluctantly, slowly he stood up, waiting for the sound of ripping fabric.

He was on his feet before realization hit him. There had been no ripping. He even checked his pants, looking over his shoulder and running his hand over his back side.

The clothing was definatately in one piece. He let out a sigh of relief -- his pride had been saved.

Now that he was standing he realized just how cold he was. He had been sitting outside since morning and now it was past six in the afternoon. Even though the weather wasn't too cold, there was still the snow and ice. Kyo shivered, his stomach rumbling.

Kyo berated himself as he walked along the street. He really had been rather foolish today.

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Shigure almost jumped for joy when he saw Kyo near the house. He had, actually, been rather worried and had nearly called for a search party. Yuki was oblivious.

Kyo walked through the door and nearly crashed into Shigure.

Kyo then realise what a mess he looked, blood staining, lips, chin and neck, snow covering him like sugar icing on a cake. Shigure frowned.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Kyo said, his tone holding a firm finality; clearly he didn't want to talk about it. Shigure could never take a hint.

"You went to her grave, didn't you?"

Yuki who had been sitting in the living room, sat up a little straighter, listening covertly.

_'Whose grave?' _Yuki wondered to himself. He though of his mother with a pang. He rarely ever visited her grave, it just seemed wrong somehow.

"What of it!" Kyo sounded mad now, slowly returning to his loud self. Shigure frowned.

"Last time I checked, a grave doesn't punch you in the face or make you stay out for hours on end in this freezing weather."

_'He's been outside all this time?' _Yuki wondered, a faint trickle of worry floating through him.

Kyo was silent, then he whispered something Yuki couldn't hear. He sounded exhausted.

"Go get washed up then rest, Kyo," Shigure's voice sounded gentle, concerned. Yuki stifled a yell of surprise. Surely some alien body had taken over Shigure's mind -- he actually sounded like a normal adult.

_'What is wrong with everyone today?' _whispered the voice in Yuki's head. It was a strange day. Even the fangirls seemed zapped of energy.

"That's what I was trying to do before you got in the way, you dumb dog!" Kyo yelled as he stomped up the stairs.

"There's the Kyo we all know and love!" Shigure chirped, back to his normal self. Yuki knew had been too good to last. Kyo gave no reply other than to slam the bathroom door. Now considering the door was a paper door and therefore not very heavy, it was amazing how Kyo manage to make it sound like a cannon going off.

Yuki felt the house tremble slightly in protest and he shook his head.

_'Baka neko.'_

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Kyo washed the dried blood off his face and neck, staring at the pink water for a moment before tugging his shirt off. It too was stained with his blood. He winced slightly as a pain shot up his side. Looking at his ribs, Kyo saw a purple and black bruise on his left side. He glared at it.

Throwing his shirt in the laundry basket, Kyo went to his room to get a clean shirt.

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Yuki was still sitting on the sofa when Shigure came back into the room. The inu was grinning, Yuki realised then how tense Shigure been before.

"What was that about?" asked Yuki offhandedly, trying to sound as if he didn't really care.

Shigure grinned and tapped his nose. "That's a secret between me and Kyo," he smiled and returned to the paper he'd been trying to read all morning.

Yuki stared blankly at Shigure, then shook his head. He really didn't care what the stupid cat did. If _he _wanted to stay out all day and freeze to death it would be one less thing to worry about.

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Kyo had decided to take Shigure's advice and get some sleep, even though he didn't want to. His body screamed angrily to him at the mistreatment it had recieved during the day, wanting now to just shut down for a while.

It was warm in the house so Kyo wore only some flannel trousers. He was asleep within minutes, although the sun was shining weakly on his face as it tried to battle through the thick clouds.

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There was a knock at the door downstairs about an hour later. Yuki was still sitting in the same position, reading a book. Shigure jumped to his feet at the noise.

"Yay! Lunch!"

Yuki shook his head. Shigure always ate at odd times, and of course Yuki could only eat when Shigure ate. Unless he wanted to order his own takeout, and Yuki didn't want to spend his own money on food that he didn't like in the first place.

Shigure came back seconds later, carrying two bags crammed with food, warm and smelling strongly.

"Yuki, can you please go wake Kyo up? Tell him the food is here."

"Why do I have to do it?" Yuki yelled indignantly.

"Because I'm dishing up the food," Shigure grinned as he ran to the kitchen to get plates and chopsticks. Yuki glared at where Shigure had been standing for a few second before he stood and started to climb the stairs.

He reached Kyo's door and rapped his knuckles smartly on the door.

"Baka neko, wake up. The food is here!" Yuki waited for any sound of movement or reply. None came. Yuki growled and knocked the door again. Still no reply. Angrily, he opened the door to shout at Kyo. He saw the neko on the on the futon, sleeping peacefully. The covers were bunched around his feet, and Yuki could clearly see the bruise that shone on his side.

The tirade died on his lips instantly. Yuki frowned. The only ones who Kyo fought with were himself and Haru. Haru very rarely managed to hit Kyo and Yuki was the only one who could beat him. And Yuki knew that that bruise was not his doing.

Who could have done that to the cat? He gently traced his fingers over the marked skin and Kyo flinched in his sleep, away from the touch.

Yuki wondered who had hurt the cat and why. He could think of no one. Maybe someone had tried to mug him, caught the cat by surprise and hit him on his side?

On closer inspection, Yuki realized the bruise was foot-shaped. Yuki shook his head and pulled the covers back over Kyo, who had begun to shiver. He decided to let the cat sleep. It would be a much quieter meal without him there anyway.

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When Yuki came downstairs Kyo-less, Shigure raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Kyo?" he asked.

Yuki frowned. "He's sleeping. Just be thankful for some peace and quiet, finally."

Shigure smiled and began to eat, but not before he put Kyo's meal in the microwave to keep it warm.

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The next day Kyo was as loud and obnoxious as ever, acting as if nothing had happened.

Shigure was glad, Yuki was not.

The walk to school was uneventful. The two walked as they always did in a tense silence only broken by the odd insult.

A nagging sensation remained at the back of Yuki's mind. He wanted to know who had hurt Kyo, and where the cat had been the previous day.

"What happened...yesterday?" Yuki said before he could stop himself, curiosity getting the better of him. Kyo stooped walking, shocked that the rat had asked him a question. A normal question. And his tone wasn't angry or scornful -- it was curious.

"Why do you want to know, nezumi?" Kyo sounded cautious, as if afraid at any moment Yuki would say something horrible and they'd be back to fighting again.

Yuki stopped alongside Kyo, looking at him curiously.

"It dosen't matter," Kyo said, his tone holding a finality. He continued to walk.

"Who kicked you?" Yuki asked firmly, not to be deterred.

Kyo glared at Yuki as if he said something that had offended him. "What the hell is wrong with you today? Why all the questions? WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN!"

Kyo stormed off at this, walking quickly and trying to put as much distance between himself and Yuki as he could.

Yuki stood rooted to the spot. Why did he want to know anyway?

_'Because I'm the only one who's allowed to beat him, and at least I don't leave any bruises...'_

Yuki shook his head, trying to silence the voice. It laughed at him. He glared at nothing.

_'WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN!'_

Kyo's angry voice echoed through his head, and he told himself he was just curious. He didn't care -- not really.

_'Keep telling yourself that,' _The Voice taunted him.

Yuki just glared one final time and continued to walk.

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Kyo was in a really bad mood now. The day had already started badly, and now the damn rat was asking stupid questions.

_'Why is he acting like he cares anyways? I don't need anyone to care about me, kuso nezumi!'_

_'Don't act like you didn't like it.'_

Kyo ignored the stupid voice in his head. He really hated that voice, the one that just loved to annoy the hell out of him. He reached the school more quickly than he realized. He must have been walking very fast. He looked back and saw no sign of Yuki.

_'Good, I don't need that kuso nezumi messing with my mind this early.'_

The voice just laughed at him for no apparent reason and then fell silent, letting him prepare for another day at school.

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

If youv'e read this and enjoyed it, please leave a review. If you read this and hated it leave a review anyway! I read all reviews, and i love all of them. Reviews are what keep me writing, so if you want to see this fict contiuing, please review!

Oh and just so you know, anyone who likes Tohru, she is there! She gose to their school and she will have a small part soon. Just in case the fact that Tohru isn't in this fict is makeing you mad. She will appear soon. Look out for her!

One last note, if you review you get a Kyo plushie! (holds up a bag of Kyo plushies) Only available if you leave a review. Next chapter you can get a Yuki plushie!

12 November: Update: For this special betad version of chapte 3 i will be adding preview of chapter 4 w00t! Arnt you lucky

"I hate it...this cures...Akito." the small rabbit spoke in only a whisper, but his voice was so hard and angry. Haru patted the smalled boy on the head. He and Momiji may be the same age, but the small rabbit always gave off an air of helplessness, as if he was constantly begging for the compasion of a parent.

"Don't worry kid, he'll be ok." Haru smiled reasuringly and Momiji sniffed.

"Why dose everyone hate him so?...just because Akito tells them to? Or is it something else...i don't understand."

Momiji sighed and lay down on the futon, curled up into a tight ball, like a hedgehog. Arms wrapped tightly around himself, as if he were trying to protect himself from some unseen enemy.

well thats it mmwwwwahhahahaah read , reaview and then eat a cookie! gives everyone cookies

See you in the next chapter


	4. Kyo can cook!

I am on an update high today! (dances) Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Stormy weather was definitely present today. The mood was black and tense, and the air thick with tension. Everyone in the classroom was shivering from the cold. Kyo walked into the room, an angry, annoyed version of himself. Everyone recognized this as a bad thing. This Kyo made normal angry Kyo seem like the sweetest and kindest person on earth.

Everyone conspicuously backed away from Kyo as he entered, even the people who normally came to talk to him stayed away. Mirroring the weather outside, a black storm cloud was nearly visible over his head. There was definitely some thunder and lighting as well, with a little bit of sleet thrown in for good measure.

Only Yuki seemed unfazed. He walked in as he normally did, looking cool and calm. He sat down silently and fixed his gaze in the direction of the front of the class. No one ever came to talk to him. Well, the fan girls came to scream, stare, and babble at him -- but never to talk. Heck, he even preferred the shouting matches he had with Kyo, or worrying about being molested whenever he was with Haru. Even Momiji's hyperness was preferable to the crazy fangirls.

Anyways, back to Kyo. Being in such a bad mood is never a good thing, especially for a hot tempered cat. When one is in a bad mood, one tends to snap fiercely at innocent bystanders, and break, throw, kick, and punch things. If you add Kyo and school to that equation, you have a recipe for a load of trouble. Basically, Kyo was doomed from the start.

People were now talking behind their hands and casting fearful looks at the angry redhead. A few people were even slowly moving their desks away from him. Yuki remained silent and unfazed, still looking rather bored. But one good thing came from Kyo's foul temper for Yuki. The fangirls were too afraid to move in Kyo's presence to stand up and walk to his desk.

_'So … the cat has his uses, then?'_

The teacher strode into the classroom, ignoring Kyo's mood and the decidedly jumpy behavior of the rest of the class. He ordered them all to sit and the students seemed undecided for a moment, wondering whether they preferred the wrath of Kyo or the teacher. Nevertheless, one glare from their fearsome teacher had everyone scuttling to their seats.

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Kyo was still in a bad mood at dinnertime. The dark storm cloud still hovered over his head, an occasional lighting bolt casting an eerie glow over his furious expression. (Well, the cloud and lightening weren't really there, but _everyone_ could visualize them.) And so it was that every single person avoiding Kyo like the plague that day, even the cats who normally followed him to the roof avoided him.

Kyo was now sitting on a deserted school roof, watching everyone in the yard below. Most people were either sitting on the benches or grass, eating lunch and talking. Kyo sighed. He had calmed down a lot now, although the storm cloud was still present. He let his features relax and his body hang limp. He was so tired and confused. He could still picture Yuki's face, the way he'd asked the question about what had happened to him, as if he really cared. Kyo growled, Yuki was just a good actor: he really didn't care about anyone but himself. Kyo had the sudden urge to cry, cry for something lost, but for the life of him he could not think what. He heard a small mewl and looked down to see a small grey kitten who had been the only one brave enough to approach him. It looked up at him with it big glittering eyes and mewled again. He smiled at it and gently stroked the silky soft fur.

"Hello there, little one," he whispered. The kitten arched his back into Kyo's hand and purred. Kyo could feel all his anger ebb away as he stroked the little kitten.

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Yuki wrestled with the two voices in his head that were tearing him in opposite directions. One was feeling guilty, telling him he should go find Kyo -- see if he was alright, and apologize. The other part of him was screaming "Ignore the baka neko, and let him pout if he wants to!" Yuki growled and wrapped his arms tighter around his legs. Haru sat beside him, trying to keep a hyper Momiji under control. The small boy had eaten one too many pockies, not only had he eaten two packs of his own, but he had also stolen half of Haru's. He was now trying to chase leaves around the playground, and generally scaring everyone. It was rather amusing to watch. Yuki smiled slightly, distracting himself with the silliness of his cousin. But he still couldn't help but worry about Kyo, no one else seemed to want to worry about the cat, so he was the only one to do it. Besides, he felt as if he owed it to Kyo, as if long ago he'd made some promise. Or as if he'd lost something … He just couldn't shake off the feeling no matter how hard the stupid voice argued.

_Flashback_

_Yuki and Kyo sat under the tree, a bag of sweet nestled in the grass between them._

_"Yu-kun?" the red haired boy whispered._

_"Hmmm," Yuki said as he ate a sweet. He stared off into the distance but turned his head slightly towards his friend._

_"We'll be friends forever, right?" the taller of the two boys said, looking worried, his eyes pointed towards the grass as if it held the answer he desired._

_"Of course, Kyo-kun!" the silver haired child smiled as he gave his friend a big bear hug. "Friends forever, I promise!" Yuki smiled brightly as Kyo smiled and returned the hug. Then, all to soon for the two friends, Kyo had to leave before his mother got home._

_A few weeks later, that promise would be broken forever._

_End Flashback_

The rest of the school day past uneventfully. Yuki and Kyo walked home in their usual stony silence. They always walked home together. Why? Neither of the could say. Yuki would always wait outside the school gates for Kyo, and Kyo for Yuki. Neither could remember who had started the waiting first, but neither want to be 'in debt' to the other. So they always waited for each other. The fact that they lived in the same house was irrelevant.

Haru and Momiji were with them today. Momiji, still a little high on his pocky overload, was now chasing the poor birds who were brave enough to land nearby. He would run up to them, flapping his arms and cawing in a rather un-bird like fashion. Haru was desperately trying to look as if he wasn't related to the hyper rabbit in any way.

"So what are we going to have for dinner!" Momiji asked excitedly. Momiji had invited himself for dinner at Shigure's, and of course Haru had come too. Not that Yuki minded. Kyo, on the other hand, remained strangely quiet and calm -- which was never a good sign. He also walked a few steps ahead of Yuki and Haru, although no one could keep up with Momiji, who was still awaiting an answer.

"What would you like?" Yuki asked. He liked Momiji, the boy was one of the few people who could bring a smile to his face without even trying. No one could hate the boy either, his happiness was infectious.

Momiji screwed up his nose for a second in thought, then he pointed at Kyo.

"I want Kyo to cook!" he said happily. Every since Yuki had accidentally let it slip that Kyo was a good cook, the rabbit had wanted to taste the cat's cooking. Kyo merely glared at Momiji and continued walking.

"Doesn't look like Kyo's in the mood," Haru said, continuing devilishly, "Or maybe … he just can't do it."

"SAYS WHO! I could cook if i wanted to!" Kyo said angrily. Haru just smirked -- "Prove it" written all over his face. Momiji latched onto Kyo's arms and gave his best 'I'm so cute, LOVE ME' look.

"Please Kyo-kun," he said sweetly. Kyo tugged his arm away from the rabbits grip.

"No," he said, irritation evident in his voice. Momiji screwed up his face and sniffed, the tears already coming.

"KYO, YOUR SO MEEEEEEEEEEEAN!" he shouted. He then ran at Kyo and tackled the taller boy, holding him firmly around the waist. This caused Kyo to nearly loose his balance and grow even angrier.

"Please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeeease!" Momiji said, still glomping Kyo for all he was worth. Kyo's hand twitched and a vein throbbed in his head.

"OK! FINE! JUST SHUT UP!"

Momiji blinked up at Kyo, all traces of his tears gone. He smiled warmly, then jumped up to glomp Kyo around the neck.

"Thank you!" Momiji yelled before letting go and running ahead, smiling. Kyo just shook his head. Momiji had definitely had way to much sugar. Kyo didn't really mind cooking for the rabbit, Momiji was one person Kyo felt he could relate to. They both had went through similar experiences with their mothers, and experienced the feelings of sadness and of not being wanted.

"I'm not cooking for any one else, though!" Kyo shouted after the happy boy.

Haru just snorted. "Like I want to eat anything you cooked, it would probably poison me."

Kyo glared at the ox. "Shut up, you stupid cow!" He stormed off after Momiji, leaving Yuki and Haru alone.

Yuki sighed.

"I knew he'd give in sooner or later," Haru laughed. Yuki didn't say anything. Kyo had given in far too easily for _his_ liking. Almost as if Kyo was slowly giving up on everything that made him -- well _him_. Yuki sighed and shook his head. Its wasn't healthy to be thinking of the cat this much.

Yuki had spaced out so much he jumped when Haru poked him in his side to get his attention.

"Look, its snowing," he said in an almost bored tone. Yuki watched as the first frail flakes began to fall. They were so small and delicate it was hard to imagine that soon they would be covering the land in a blanket of white, adding to the thin layer of snow already on the ground. Yuki smiled.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kyo had been begged, threatened, beaten, pleaded with, and conned until he finally agreed to cook for everyone. He was not a happy kitty, _oh no_. He stood alone at the stove cooking, the vein in his temple throbbing in a worrying manner. He could hear the chatter of the others from the dinning room. He had had to throw Momiji bodily out of the kitchen five times already, he sighed.

"How do I get into these messes?" he muttered questioningly to himself as he stirred the pot. Again, the cooking wasn't anything fancy. In fact, any one of the boys in the dinning room could have cooked it. It was a simple mix of soup, vegetables, and noodles with a few spices strategically mixed in. He really wished Kasuma hadn't taught him how to cook -- what he would give for the gift of being able to burn any food he touched, including peas. In other words, what he wouldn't give to have the cooking skills of Shigure.

Deciding the food was ready, he scooped the concoction into five bowls. He then poured the rest of the soup into a big bowl which would be placed in the middle of the table in case anyone wanted more.

When he got into the dinning room everyone was already kneeling at the low table, and the only space left was between Yuki and Shigure. Everything was against him today. He set the bowls in front of his waiting cousins and then kneeled down at the table to eat his. Momiji began eating, chattering away between mouthfuls. Shigure smiled sweetly and tried to keep up with Momiji's constant stream of words. Haru poked at the food, glaring at it as if it had insulted him, Yuki ate in silence, enjoying the taste of fresh food and not the take away he was used too.

"Kyo is a very good cook!" Momiji said happily, smiling his brightest smile at Kyo. Kyo just nodded back and gave Momiji a small smile that no one else noticed.

"Oooooooh, Kyo-kuuuuuuun, I never knew you were such the domestic," Shigure said, grinning like Christmas, Easter and his birthday had suddenly all happened on the same day, "First you clean up and now this delicious meal..."

Shigure didn't have time to finished as the big bowl that had been sitting in the middle of the table was suddenly dumped on his head by a _very _pissed off cat. Kyo stormed out of the room, Shigure's screams echoing in his ears.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Kyo sat on the roof, his only refuge. He liked heights, the higher the better. They made him feel free, as if he was away from the world and its problems. With the wind blowing coolly and the atmosphere so calm, he couldn't help but feel as if all his problem were just blown away, if only for a little while.

It was quite cold now, still snowing slightly, sprinkling the ground like a dusting of powdered sugar. He smiled, even though he was shivering. The snow clung to his hair and clothes, slowly turning him white.

_'Maybe if the snow covers me enough ... I can disappear forever ... in the never-ending white.'_

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Ne, Yuki," Haru's voice was quiet and thoughtful as he gazed at the opposite wall.

"Hmm," Yuki muttered absently to show he was listening.

"Does Kyo seem different to you?" Haru asked.

Yuki made a huffing noise and scrunched his face up.

"Why would you worry about that stupid cat?"

Haru grinned. "It's no fun picking fights with him anymore ... it as if he's given up. Besides, he is my cousin."

Yuki just snorted and shook his head.

"Isn't it about time you went home?"

"Where would the fun in that be?" Haru grinned as he stood, "I'm bored, I'm gonna go see if I can get the cat riled up …"

Yuki shook his head, Kyo may never be able to beat him, but he was more than capable to beat Haru. Not that Yuki was saying Haru was a bad martial artist, Kyo just seemed to have better control whenever he was sparring someone else. He didn't seem as distracted, or worried as when he was sparring Yuki. After so long observing Kyo, Yuki had begun to notice these things. It annoyed him immensely.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So this is where you're always hiding!" Haru grinned proudly, as if he'd just found the lost city of Atlantis and not Kyo in the most obvious place on earth.

Kyo didn't reply. Haru frowned.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice a little gentler. He tried to imbue some sort of reassurance into his voice. He didn't hate Kyo. None of the Juunishi really hated Kyo, it was only the fear of Akito that made them keep their distance from the cat, that stopped them befriending him.

Haru sighed. He hated this. Hated all of it. It was just so much sometimes, living a life full of hate and fear -- how he longed to be normal. No wonder he had both a 'black' and a 'white' side, he'd go crazy if he had to act normal all the time.

Meanwhile, Kyo continued to ignore Haru.

"Damn it! Stop ignoring me!" Haru shouted, startling a few birds from a nearby tree and sounding very much like a pouting five year old. Still, Kyo did not say a word. Haru was slowly turning black out of sheer annoyance.

"OK, THAT'S IT! YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Haru yelled. He flew at Kyo, paying no attention to the fact that he was on a roof. And was currently flinging himself towards the _edge _where Kyo was sitting. Also, he seemed to have forgotten the light layer of snow on the roof that made footing very unsteady. Kyo easily evaded the attack and grabbed onto the back of Haru's shirt to prevent him from falling.

"Idiotic Ox," he muttered as he pulled Haru back onto the roof and headed for the ladder. Haru humphed angrily and sat there sulking. It took him a few moments to realize Kyo had left.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

And so another odd day past in the home of Shigure Sohma. Shigure was still nursing a few burns, which he insisted were infected and going to kill him, (but were actually just a few red marks that would fade by morning.) Yuki was already asleep. Kyo was doing his homework. And Haru and Momiji had to share the spare room since they had insisted on staying over. They were currently speaking to each other in whispers.

Worry shone in the rabbit's eyes. "Do you think Kyo-kun is ok?" asked Momiji.

Haru sighed. "I don't know. It's strange, he used to be so angry all the time, so full of life. And now ... he seems to be slowly giving up. It's like he doesn't care anymore."

Momiji looked at the floor, his eyes bright with the light of quiet tears.

"I hate it ... this curse ... Akito," the small rabbit spoke in only a whisper, his voice hard and angry. Haru patted the smaller boy on the head. He and Momiji may be the same age, but the small rabbit always gave off an air of childish helplessness -- as if he was constantly begging for the compassion of a parent.

"Don't worry kid, he'll be okay," Haru said as he smiled reassuringly and Momiji sniffed.

"Why does everyone hate him so? Just because Akito tells them to? Or is it something else …? I don't understand," the smaller boy sighed unhappily. Momiji lay down on the futon, curling up into a tight ball like a hedgehog. His arms were wrapped tightly around his body, as if he were trying to protect himself from some unseen enemy.

Haru lay down as well. However, he didn't bother to try to sleep, though it was very late. He stared at the ceiling, his mind wandering. There was no answer to his cousin's question. No reassurance, nothing he could say to help Momiji, because they were all in the same boat. _No one _truly understood anything of the curse.

Haru rolled over so he was lying on his side and closed his eyes. It was very late and he was tired.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning, the snow was so thick and the temperature was so low school had been cancelled. So Kyo, Yuki, Momiji and Haru had a blissful Saturday free to themselves. Yuki was still sleeping. After finding out he had no school he had gone to back to bed at once, and fallen asleep just as quickly.

Kyo was currently curled up on the sofa in front of the T, reading. Momiji had gone home, saying his father would be worried. But everyone knew he'd really gone to that place, to secretly watch over his mother and sister.

Haru had been kicked out by an angry Yuki, after the foolish ox had tried to drag Yuki out of bed to help him build a snow man.

Shigure was locked in his room, 'working'.

So Kyo was alone, he realized, sighing. The cold had penetrated the house, although the heating was on full blast. Kyo shivered and tugged the blanket tighter around his body.

'I'm sick of this ... I'm running out of time ... And I just ... Don't seem to care ... Why?'

Kyo dropped the book onto his lap, giving up on his pretense of reading. He hadn't read a single word, hadn't even bothered to try. Instead he now stared at the TV screen. Much more interesting than a good book, especially when the it was off.

Kyo returned to his musings, thinking about his mess of a life -- if you could even call it a life. It was more of an existence. He merely 'was', (and didn't want to be.) Kasuma thought he had gotten over this, gotten over the period in his life when he had been so distant he had almost given up on living. Kasuma was wrong, and Kyo was a very good actor. Sure, the pain had dulled and he didn't think about it so much. But now, with his time running out, he was quickly returning to his old self-loathing self.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Only the thought of his poor garden turning to ice dragged Yuki out of bed. Although many of his plants had stopped growing long ago, going into their usual winter sleep before blooming again in spring, the garden still needed tending. And Yuki would _not _let it suffer. He'd worked too hard taking care of it to let all his 'toil' go to waste now.

So the day was a pretty normal one, to begin with.

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Well di you like it, did ya, did ya did ya?

Review if you did! Review if you didnt! I can take it (hugs everyone) thank you for reading.


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